This year, two crews from Purdue University have been offered the unique opportunity during December 2024 to perform Mars-related analog research at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah. Each crew will have between 6 to 7 members based on requirements, and backup members will be selected to fill support roles. There is an additional opportunity to apply for the Boiler Analog Mission Control to support each crew during their mission. Available MDRS crewpositions are described on the Purdue MDRS website homepage: https://tinyurl.com/4jbkv3eh. Note that any student/staff/faculty from any Purdue department can apply; however, applicants should be a good fit for the roles at MDRS. For example, there are journalist, artist, and human factors related roles that provide opportunity for arts, communications, and psychology major students to apply. The link for Phase 1 of the application is: https://tinyurl.com/bddakxcy. Phase 1 of the selection process includes response assessment by top faculty members in various departments. If selected to move forward, Phase 2 of the selection process will involve assessment of personality, behavioral attributes, and research proposals.

We are holding a Purdue MDRS information session and analog astronaut panel on Tuesday March 26, 2024 from 6 to 7 PM in PHYS 238, in which past crewmembers will share their experiences and answer any MDRS-related questions. Please attend and bring your questions! The application deadline is 11:59 PM EDT on March 31, 2024. The results for Phase 1 will be communicated via email as soon as possible. We are looking forward to reviewing your application! Please contact purduemdrscrews@gmail.com (backup email: mall@purdue.edu) with questions or concerns.